6/09 Sports Brief

Panthers rout Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers lead the Stanley Cup Final 2-1 after routing the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3. Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal of the series. The defending champion Panthers got balanced production and steady goaltending, chased Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner and made their opponent come unglued between and after whistles. Game 4 is Thursday night at Florida.

Athletics rookie Clarke makes another spectacular catch, robs Angels’ Schanuel of home run

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Rookie center fielder Denzel Clarke made yet another spectacular catch for the Athletics, this time reaching high above the wall to rob the Los Angeles Angels’ Nolan Schanuel of a home run. The Angels had one out and no one on in the bottom of the first when Schanuel launched a 1-0 splitter from Grant Holman toward left-center. Clarke raced back and planted his right foot about halfway up the wall in a perfectly timed leap and grabbed the top for support. He extended the upper half of his body several feet beyond the wall and made a backhand grab. Clarke has made several terrific catches since he debuted on May 23.

Top prospect Roman Anthony goes hitless with RBI groundout in MLB debut for the Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox called up top prospect Roman Anthony two days after the 21-year-old outfielder hit a 497-foot grand slam for Triple-A Worcester. A second-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, Anthony batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games in Triple-A this season. He was 0-for-4 on Monday night in his major league debut with a walk and an RBI groundout. He also committed an error in right field.

Pacers, back home in Indiana, have some things to figure out before Game 3 vs. Thunder in NBA Finals

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers simply couldn’t wait to get home early Monday. There’s a slew of possible reasons for that. Maybe they just wanted to get out of Oklahoma City with their split of the first two games in the NBA Finals. Maybe they couldn’t wait to see what finals fever will look like in Indianapolis after a 25-year wait to get back to the title round. Or maybe they just wanted to get back to work. It’s probably a little of everything — especially the last part.

Xander Schauffele is a sick man when it comes to golf’s toughest test. He loves the US Open

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Xander Schauffele concedes to being a sick person because he loves the U.S. Open. It’s called the toughest test in golf and Oakmont is reputed to be the toughest course in the land. Schauffele says he looks forward to the challenge at Oakmont. He’s yet to win the U.S. Open but he has finished in the top 10 in all but one of his eight appearances. Oakmont figures to give everyone fits this week because of its dense rough and super slick greens. Justin Thomas says having a good attitude to him means concentrating over every single shot.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now take their terrific rivalry from the French Open to Wimbledon

The takeaways from Carlos Alcaraz’s fifth-set tiebreaker victory over Jannik Sinner in the French Open men’s final are multiple and significant. Let’s start with this: Anyone worried about how men’s tennis would survive in the post-Big Three era can rest easy. Alcaraz and Sinner produced 5 1/2 hours of evidence Sunday that the game is in good hands — and that their rivalry will be, and perhaps already is, a transcendent one. They have combined to win the past six Grand Slam titles and eight of the last 11. Now they’ll head to Wimbledon, where play begins June 30.

World Cup host city organizers acknowledge immigration crackdown may impact next year’s tournament

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia’s host city executive for the 2026 World Cup says organizers accept that an immigration crackdown by the U.S. federal government may be among the outside events that impact next year’s tournament. At a gathering of the 11 U.S. host city leaders on Monday, Meg Kane said, “We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made.” The World Cup will be played at 16 stadiums in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year, a tournament expanded to 48 nations and 104 games.

Wander Franco’s attorney to ask court to exonerate his client in sexual abuse case

PUERTO LA PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The attorney for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco says he will ask the court to exonerate his client of all charges in a sexual abuse case involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Franco, who was charged in July 2024 and is on supervised release, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty. The prosecutors say the witnesses’ testimony has been vital in proving that Franco sexually abused a minor and paid her mother money for her consent. The mother of the minor has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.

Dick Vitale has an extension with ESPN — and a college basketball event in his honor

Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale is sticking around college basketball with a new contract extension and a new event named in his honor. ESPN announced Monday that Vitale has signed a contract through the 2027-28 season. In addition, ESPN Events is launching the Dick Vitale Invitational. The first matchup is a game between Duke and Texas on Nov. 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the opening days of the college basketball season. The announcement comes on Vitale’s 86th birthday and months after he returned to the airwaves after being gone for two years amid a fourth cancer battle.

T.J. Oshie, US Olympic star in Sochi and Capitals Stanley Cup champion, announces he’s retiring

WASHINGTON (AP) — T.J. Oshie, who scored four shootout goals for the U.S. to beat host Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and helped the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018, announced Monday he is retiring after playing 16 NHL seasons. Oshie shared his news in front of hundreds of fans gathered at the fountains at Washington Harbour in Georgetown, seven years to the day of one of the most memorable Cup celebrations in hockey history when he and several teammates jumped into the fountains and took a dip. President of hockey operations Brian MacLellan, general manager Chris Patrick, coach Spencer Carbery and longtime teammates Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson came out to support Oshie as he called it a career.